Rich REWARDS

HOW TO ENCOURAGE MORE RETAIL SALES

Discover smarter ways to run a beauty business with RICHARD MCCABE, lifestyle salon coach

ABOUT RICHARD MCCABE

Richard is a salon owner turned coach, dedicated to transforming time-poor business owners into confident, profitable leaders. After building successful salons in the UK and Australia, he began sharing the systems that supported this growth. This evolved into the launch of his brand,

Lifestyle Salon Coach. More recently, Richard created SAAMM (Salon AI Automated Management Machine), ‘a digital manager for salons’.

SCRATCH READER OFFER!

Would you like to experience the business advantages of AI?

Scratch readers can benefit from an AI chatbot for just £10 per week. Visit lifestylesaloncoach.org/scratch for more information.

lifestylesaloncoach.org/homepage /LifestyleSalonCoach @lifestyle_salon_coach

Constantly reminding your team to sell products to clients is not an effective strategy. It creates friction, awkwardness and little growth. However, retailing is one of the most underused profit levers for a beauty business. When done right, it can boost profit by 10-20% without a single new client walking through the door. Here’s my advice to salon owners, to help create a thriving retail culture without begging, bribing or burnout:

1. Shift mindsets: solving not selling If your team sees retail as selling, they’ll run a mile. They must see it as part of a treatment, not a pushy extra. Host a team huddle and drive this message home: retail protects results. Once they believe that, confidence follows. Use client stories to demonstrate the importance of using premium products after a service.

4. Incentivise without commission Commission isn’t always the best motivator; you want to create momentum and pride, not pressure. Here are ideas to incentivise your team:

• Run four-week retail challenges with fun rewards, such as coffee vouchers, extra break time or first pick of the rota.

• Host themed retail events, such as ‘Hydration Week’ or ‘Glow Up Friday’.

• Use SAAMM’s dashboard to track daily progress, sparking friendly competition.

5. Educate regularly Your team can’t recommend what they don’t understand, but education doesn’t need to be boring. Try ‘product of the week’ spotlights in team meetings, 30-second retail pitch challenges, and invite brand representatives to your business every quarter to gain fresh inspiration.

2. Recommend like a pro – not a salesperson Think of it like this: you go to the doctor with a rash. They don’t sell you something; they prescribe a solution. They ask questions, explain the cause, recommend a treatment and give you a prescription, and you follow their advice because you want results. Your clients are no different.

6. Use automation to follow up Not every client buys straight away, but without following up, you’re leaving money on the table. Use software like SAAMM to send automated emails 48 hours after a client visit, reminding them that products used in their treatment are available online/in the salon. Include glowing reviews and a rebooking link.

Your focus should be on prescribing professional aftercare to ensure clients get the results they came to you for. Just like a doctor wouldn’t skip a prescription, you shouldn’t skip the recommendation. Ask clients if they are experiencing nail issues, which products they’re using at home and if they’re working, then confidently recommend which retail products will be effective and why.

3. Track sales and celebrate wins What gets measured gets improved. Track how much retail makes up of total service revenue weekly. Set a salon goal for this – for example, start with 10%, and share wins in team meetings. With my software, SAAMM, retail statistics update live on the dashboard, providing data that drives growth.

7. Lead by example If you don’t confidently sell retail, neither will your team. Here’s how to model retail:

• Shadow a junior therapist and demo the full recommendation flow.

• Record the perfect client journey to use for training.

• Share the retail numbers, as transparency builds trust.

8. Make retail part of performance reviews Don’t wait for employees’ annual reviews to discuss retail. Regularly evaluate their key performance indicators (KPIs); set achievable 30-day goals, such as moving from a 5% to 7% retail target, and show how retailing helps professionals increase earnings.